Kairn broke his gaze from the storm clouds and gave Aleksi a thoughtful look. “That’s a very difficult thing you are asking, son. But I have a difficult question, too—what’s under those bandages on your arm?”
Aleksi took a step back and dropped his bandaged hand from the bow’s gunwale.
“From where I was on deck,” Kairn continued, “I could hear much of what you and Luka said to each other while you fought. In the end, I think it was because of your power that Luka was not able to kill us, and for that I am glad. But the priestess . . .” Kairn stopped himself. “Let me put it this way. With the Diamond damaged as she is, going into the Ice Floes is suicide. The Captain knows this, but still he pushes us onward. He does so because of one simple fact—Saiya. Because of her, this ship has a much greater chance of having High Arkai Aruna’s blessing. I don’t pretend to understand who you are or what business you think you have with Saiya. But right now, all that matters, for all our sakes, is that nothing threatens her connection with the Arkai.”
Kairn paused and his blue eyes twinkled as he gazed at Aleksi. “My question about your bandage is unfair because I already know the answer—your question about Saiya is similar. What would you do if I told you that yes, she is on board? Would you go to her? Would you wake her from her slumber and break her concentration so you can selfishly speak with her? The same could be asked of me. What would I do if I saw a Rune imbued into your flesh under those bandages? Would I treat you like a runaway student, imprison you, and turn you over to the Academy’s Enforcers for the grand reward? Or, rather, would I ask you about the secrets of Terra and, sating my curiosity, revel in the power of the Masters? Well, that last I very much would like to do—but right now I need to focus on plotting our course through some very dangerous waters and cannot be distracted on either account. Saiya is the same. She needs to focus on using her connection to Aruna to protect this ship. Being locked in the Dreamscape has its advantages, and we must not threaten that. More importantly, you must not threaten that.”
Kairn let out a great sigh. “But I swear to you, if we make it out of this alive and you still ask it of me, I will introduce you to the most beautiful young woman you will ever meet. Sadly, you will not thank me for it. Son, Domadred told me about your sketchbook. You must know, if you open your heart to that young woman, that she will be the longing of your life but forever outside your reach. Despite all you do, Aleksi, you will never have her, for she belongs to the Arkai of the West and Aruna does not share.”
There was a long silence between them as the Diamond continued to move toward the dark clouds before them.
Finally, Aleksi nodded. Kairn turned and grasped the youth on the shoulder. “I’m sorry. But hey, how about you help me plot our course. If our Runic ledgers are correct, no one has traversed through the Ice Floes’ eddies in many an age—so, if I’m to attempt the impossible, I most certainly want company.”
After the crew cleared the deck and began restringing the mainmast’s boom, Aleksi and Kairn flipped through old maps in the navigation room. Methodical at first, as the waves became rougher and they did not find anything useful, they quickened their pace out of necessity and frustration.
“Nothing?” Kairn asked, as he shuffled through the maps strewn about the room’s counters. “Not even in Graff’s Atlas of Vai’kel’s Seas?”
The ship suddenly hit a large wave, and several scrolls rolled from the table and fell to the floor, kicking up ash. Soot had blown in through the room’s now-closed window and there was a light dusting on the floor. Luckily, no fire had entered the chamber, and the maps, books, and instruments had been unharmed by Luka’s flames.
“Nothing,” Aleksi answered. “All that’s here are a lot of references to people who tried to enter the floes to chart them but never returned.” Aleksi then braced himself on a bookshelf as the ship roughly descended into the wave’s trough.
As Aleksi opened a new book, he heard the sound of rain patter against the deck above their heads and looked out the window. Not only had the seas become more turbulent, but the sky was dark. Suddenly, the wind gusted fiercely and threw sheets of rain against the ship.
“Wonderful . . . ,” Kairn said, thumbing through another book. “I do vaguely remember seeing a diagram somewhere, but it was not with any of the standard maps. I’ll have to ask the captain. You wait here and keep looking.”
Just as Kairn was about to open the door, Domadred rushed in. He was dripping wet and had a stern look on his face. “We’ve entered the storm and Lenhal is almost within firing range. Do you have our course plotted?”
“I know our position,” Kairn answered. “But other than abstract reference, we have no actual chart of the floes. I remember seeing something once, but I can’t find it now.”
“That’s because it’s not in here.” Domadred rushed through the door to his chamber. After a moment of cursing, followed by the sound of scrolls falling to the floor, Domadred returned with a tightly rolled parchment. “This is it,” the captain said, handing the map to Kairn. “Hurry, we do not have much time.”
As Domadred turned to go back to the quarterdeck, a loud boom echoed behind the ship. Both sailors looked to the stern and braced themselves. There came only a loud splash, however, and Domadred shook his head. “It has begun.” Domadred straightened his hat and, opening the navigation room’s door, looked at Aleksi. “Come with me, son; you are about to experience the making of a legend.”
As they emerged on deck, Aleksi was assaulted by a torrent of rain and wind. He staggered back and had to bend over and lean into the gust as he followed Domadred to the helm. The sky was filled with roiling clouds the color of mottled iron while the ocean churned frothily and the Diamond cut its way deeper into the storm.
Brayden was at the wheel, and when he saw Domadred and Aleksi approach, a wide smile spread across the boy’s face. He’s actually enjoying this, Aleksi thought as he clung to the dimly glowing Runic binnacle and the ship pitched high from another wave.
Suddenly, lightning cut through the sky, illuminating the newly raised main boom and trysail. A deafening clap of thunder then echoed across the turbulent sea and another explosion of cannon fire followed it. The resulting splashes landed less than a hundred meters off the Diamond’s port bow.
“I’m not used to having ships fire at us from astern,” Domadred shouted over the wind. “Men, show some love to the stern chaser and return Lenhal’s greeting!”
Aleksi staggered back to the stern deck’s ladder and looked past the Diamond. There was a fleet of ten ships sailing abreast, each with fully rigged masts. Leading the charge was a large capital warship of the Western Thalassocracy. That must be the Fury of Aruna, Aleksi thought as he gripped the ladder tighter, bracing himself as the Diamond hit another wave. The rain continued to bear down around the youth as he clung to the ladder—but surprisingly, it was warm on his skin. Every so often, however, a gust of frigid air blew across the ship, fluttering the sails and chilling Aleksi to the bone.
Suddenly, there came a deep boom as a large puff of smoke and fire exploded from the Diamond’s stern. Near Lenhal’s line of ships, a geyser of water shot up into the air, casting spray onto the Fury’s bow.
“Readjust, reload, and return fire!” Domadred shouted. “Let’s take one of them down before we hit the storm’s heavy rollers!” Aleksi shambled back to the helm as Domadred gripped Brayden’s shoulder. The sky was nearly black with storm clouds, and the wind howled across the ship as the Diamond broke over another wave.
“That’s it, son,” Domadred continued. “Feel her pull and move deeper into it . . . Just a little more . . .” Brayden gracefully eased the wheel ever so slightly, and the ship slid forward and picked up speed as she surged down a large swell.
“Well done!” Domadred exclaimed. “We’ve almost entered the heart of this salty beast!” Brayden looked at his father, and his face beamed with pride as another salvo of cannon fire blasted over the Diamond’s masts.
Aleksi looked to t
he ship’s stern and saw that the pursuing fleet had gotten closer. They were now no longer in a neat row, however, and the mighty ships bobbed on the dark horizon as the fierce waves pitched them about. The Diamond’s chaser then boomed again, but this time the shot was low and plummeted into the water with a violent splash.
“Cease fire until you have a clean shot,” Domadred cried over the wail of the wind. “The waves are now too great for the chasers to be any good. Hold fast until we can broadside!”
The Diamond’s bow suddenly slammed into a twenty-meter wall of water with a hollow crash, sending a geyser of spray into the air. Aleksi clung to the binnacle as the Diamond crested the peak and then surfed into the trough and almost toppled. Picking up speed, the Diamond’s bow then dove back into the sea, plunging tip first into the wave ahead before cresting again.
After steadying himself from the impact, Aleksi looked aft and saw that one of the ships had pulled away from the group and was closing in on the Diamond. The vessel had unfurled more sails and was continuing to increase her speed as she approached.
Catching the wind, the pursuing ship then hit the wave immediately behind the Diamond with such immense force that water spouted high into the sky, nearly spraying the Diamond herself. Bracing against another crash, Aleksi watched as the vessel crested the wave and displayed her mighty hull to the open air with an explosion of frothy fury. The ship’s bow seemed to hang suspended in the sky before she tipped forward over the peak and flew down the wave, nearly coming beside the Diamond as both ships surfed into a low trough.
“Prepare all cannons for port broadside!” Domadred cried.
Aleksi felt the Diamond’s bow surge into the wave ahead and begin to climb up to its steep crest as the gun ports below were opened. The ship beside them had built up too much speed on her descent into the trough, however, and instead of climbing up the next swell like the Diamond, the ship’s bow plunged tip first under the wave ahead.
Domadred cast a triumphant fist into the sky as the wave directly behind the advancing ship then pushed the vessel’s stern high into the air. The enemy boat shuddered and halted as her tip was forced farther into the water. Over the torrent of the storm, Aleksi heard the sharp cracking of masts as the ship pitchpoled stern over bow, capsizing in a fury of broken wood and frothing wake.
“Swallowed by the sea!” Domadred called out as he continued to grip Brayden’s shoulder. “Only nine more to go!”
Another wave then thrashed against the Diamond’s bow, causing foamy splash to spray across the planks. Aleksi clung to the binnacle and tried to keep his boots from slipping on the wet and violently swaying deck as he looked out to the sea ahead. All about them, the ocean churned in a torrent of frothy, whitecapped breakers angrily crashing into each other. The rain and wind stung at the youth’s eyes, and he was forced to wrap his arms around the binnacle so as to not be swept into the ocean as the Diamond plowed into the next roller.
Feeling his heart thunder in his chest, Aleksi then saw that another of Lenhal’s ships had broken from the pack. Strangely, this ship seemed to be sailing diagonally across the waves instead of down them. Domadred saw it, too, and just as the Diamond crested another breaker, the captain cupped his hands and shouted to the crew.
“Take cover! Incoming fire on the starboard side!”
As the men ducked, the other vessel cut even sharper across the wave so that her side directly faced the Diamond. Aleksi saw the shots being fired before he heard the explosions. Plumes of smoke tinged with red-and-yellow flame shot out of the ship’s gun ports. Aleksi heard the thunderous reverberation of explosions, the buzz of cannonballs whizzing through the air, and finally the sound of shattering wood as cannon fire bracketed the Diamond.
Aleksi was flung roughly to the deck, and strong hands held his head down as planks ruptured around him in a flurry of broken ship.
“Damn it, boy!” Levain shouted, pulling Aleksi back up to his feet. “Didn’t you hear the captain? Next time they fire, get down!”
Aleksi’s ears rang, but he nodded and reached for the gunwale to brace himself against another wave. Aleksi’s hand, however, floundered in midair as he groped at nothingness. Looking to his right, the youth saw that where the gunwale railing had been a moment ago now was only open space, broken wood, and surging water. As another wave broke over the bow and showered the deck, Aleksi lost his balance and lurched over the side.
Levain reached out and grabbed Aleksi’s wrist, pulling him back in. “Grace of the Guardians! Be careful!” the large man said, hauling Aleksi back over to the helm. “Bits of the ship are floating back there in our wake. Trust me, you do not want to join them!” Aleksi nodded with wide eyes as Levain looked over at Domadred. “Captain, shall we prepare for a return volley?”
“No,” Domadred answered. “They have us on a tight angle, and we can’t afford to readjust so drastically to return fire. But look!” Domadred pointed to the ship.
Instead of being bow and stern into the wave like the Diamond, the enemy ship had her broadside along the wave’s line. As the ship crested over the next swell’s top, she slid diagonally down the valley as her keel was pulled upward into the crest. This caused the ship to list on her port side, dangerously close to capsizing.
“They’ve cut in too tight!” Domadred bellowed. “She’s going to overturn!”
As a sudden, powerful gust of cold air blew across the wave’s top, the other ship’s keel finally was not able to keep its edge in the water. As the wave broke, the breaker rolled the ship along her side, causing the vessel to tumble in a mess of broken wood and writhing water. Once the wave settled, the ship turtled and sank into the dark trough.
The crew of the Illusive Diamond gave a cheer, and Aleksi could not help but raise his own voice to their chorus.
“They will be more conservative now,” Domadred shouted smugly, as the Diamond hit another swell. “Lenhal won’t try to overtake us until we reach the ice and the waves die down. Lucky for us, we have a map of the floes and they do not. There is no way they will be able to find us in the fog. We might even be able to circle around and catch them unaware!”
Steadying himself, Aleksi tried to assess the damage of the cannon salvo. There was some superficial harm to the Diamond’s deck and stern, and one of the mizzenmast’s spars had been shattered.
“It was only a glancing blow,” Levain said. “To pierce the hull they will need a direct shot. Let’s hope they don’t get the chance.”
Aleksi nodded and continued to hold on to the binnacle as the Diamond crested another swell. Behind him, the youth heard Kairn call out to Domadred.
“Captain, I have plotted our course through the ice!”
“Magnificent,” Domadred shouted back. “Brayden, hold tight and keep her steady.” Domadred then turned toward the navigation room and motioned for Levain to follow. As the two men pushed through the doors, Aleksi slipped inside as well.
Having a break from the wind and rain was wonderful. Aleksi let out a great sigh as he held on to one of the tables for support while the ship continued to rock tip to tail. Kairn was already leaning over a large map and motioned them over. The parchment depicted many clusters of icebergs surrounded by shaded areas that Aleksi assumed were fog banks. In addition, the icebergs commingled with weaving channels of water that snaked their way around the islands of ice. There was an odd symmetry to the multitude of groupings, and it made their organization seem more planned than organic.
“It’s impossible to know if any of this is still accurate,” Kairn said, still gazing at the map. “But I’m hoping that whatever causes the ice to form is a permanent installation and therefore will not have moved much in the past age.”
“But remember,” Domadred added, “there may be nothing to prevent a stray berg from breaking off from the main cluster and floating just below the water line.”
“Indeed. One thing is for certain, though; the ice should begin right around there. Once we enter its cover, the waves will f
ade very quickly and we should be able to lose Lenhal in the fog.”
“But with such light wind among the ice,” Levain added, “it will be slow going with only the trysail and the squares.”
“Exactly,” Kairn said, tapping the map. “So I suggest we move in here.” Kairn pointed to a gap between two icebergs. “And move through like so to take advantage of our squares.” He then traced his finger through an opening in the ice islands along the Ice Floes’ edge in a wide arc. Finally, his finger came out on the other side.
“But if we double back here,” Domadred said, pointing to the map, “we could take Lenhal by surprise.”
“Or get pinned down,” Kairn answered, shaking his head. “No. Right now I’m more concerned with getting out of this alive than taking down his fleet.”
“I’m sure you’ve noticed they have already lost two,” Domadred said with a grin.
“Captain, the Diamond will be very difficult to maneuver while the wind is funneled upward over the center of the ice clusters. Even with full sails I would still highly advise against it.”
“Alright, then direct Brayden to your plotted course. For now, we will just focus on escaping. But know this—if the opportunity presents itself, this frozen wasteland will be Lenhal’s grave.”
CHAPTER XXVIII
Domadred was right. As the Illusive Diamond approached the Ice Floes, the remainder of Lenhal’s fleet lowered sail and decreased their speed to survive the rough waters. After that, the eight remaining ships stayed a safe distance behind the Diamond as they followed Domadred and his crew to the islands of ice. And although Lenhal’s fleet still occasionally tried to fire with their chasers, none of their shots connected due to the high waves and strong winds.
With Brayden at the wheel and Kairn guiding his course, it did not take long for the Diamond to reach the Ice Floes. Aleksi watched from the quarterdeck in amazement as the large vessel approached what looked like a series of jagged cliffs rising out of the sea. Outside the wall, the surrounding waters were awash in turbulent waves and roaring winds, but once the ice began, the swells died down as they crashed over the frozen barricades.
Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles) Page 39
